Driver

Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) owns an 800 acre hill farm called Driver – the most westerly farm in Somerset. The land is high on the south facing slopes of ‘The Chains’, between Simonsbath and Challacombe, the Chains well known due to the plans to establish forest there in the 1950s. The farm is likely named from the ‘dry ford’ below the farm, rather optimistically as the rainfall on this part of Exmoor is very high.

How did Driver come to be owned by ENPA and why is it so significant?

The farm was created out of open moorland in the 1840s by Frederic Knight, as part of plans to increase the profitability of the family’s 16,000 acre Exmoor Forest Estate and the farm eventually came into public ownership when it was bought by Somerset County council in 1969. It passed to ENPA in 1997. The farm tenant at Driver, whose family had occupied the farm since 1970, unexpectedly surrendered his tenancy in May 2023 and the farm came back in hand for the first time, presenting the opportunity to explore all options for its future.

Since May 2023 we have carefully considered the best ways that Driver can help the work of the National Park in engaging people with Exmoor’s beautiful landscapes, through enhancing nature, caring for Exmoor’s heritage and through supporting local livelihoods. It is 70 years since Exmoor National Park was designated in 1954 and we think Driver will be key to helping us address some of the challenges we face today.

In December 2023 the Exmoor National Park Committee took the unanimous decision to retain Driver as a strategic priority for investment and to help deliver the purposes for which Exmoor was designated a National Park.

During 2024 we will:

• Refurbish the historic farmhouse.
• Repair and conserve one of the traditional stone barns with grant funding.
• Improve the infrastructure around the buildings.
• Let the land on a grazing licence in order to comply with requirements for the SSSIs.
• Enter a Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

Where have we got to so far?

ENPA is rationalising its estate by selling off several assets in order to re-invest in key assets across its estate including Driver. We have secured Landscape Recovery funding from Defra focused on the area of Exmoor’s old royal forest; Driver lies at the heart of this area and will therefore be one of the beneficiaries of this funding. Initially a 2-year development phase (2024-2026), it will be followed by a 20-year implementation phase ending in 2046. ENPA has also secured development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund focused on the old royal forest for a £1.4 million, 5 year programme with nature recovery, heritage conservation, skills development and engaging with people at its heart.